Non-Human Chemistry
by Valamere
Summary: As university chemistry student, Darren Bishop, nears the end of his time of study the last thing he expects is to become mixed up in liminals. Thrust into a life filled with liminals and love, can he make sense of everything and find new happiness? But can happiness really be found when all the things you're familiar with Argon?
1. Chapter 1

**Non-Human Chemistry**

 **AN:** Hey there everyone! My name is Valamere and I would like to firstly thank you for taking the time to click on to my story. I have been an avid reader on this site for quite a while and finally, after a bit of trepidation, have decided to put pen to paper or fingers to keys if you will and write my own story for others to view. Without further ado I present to you, my distinguished reader, the first chapter of Non-Human Chemistry.

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Chapter 1

A strong wind blew through the sparsely populated streets, snaking its way through every side road and alleyway. Guarding himself from the wind's advances, a solitary man making his way down the quiet street pulled his coat tighter around himself, his arms wrapped around him in a feeble attempt to retain even some of the lingering heat from his freshly ironed shirt. He cursed under his breath as he surveyed the grey, miserable morning. With the wind seemingly calmed down, only producing faint occasional whistles as it blew through the city, the man stopped to readjust himself. His sleek dark hair lay neatly on his head, a parting the only noticeable feature as it drew his hair to one side. Outwardly, the man looked slender and of average height, not terribly muscular which was accentuated by how his grey coat clung to him. He was dressed smart but comfortably, a white shirt, black trousers and a long grey coat made up his attire. One could quite easily infer a few things about the man, he seemed calm and quietly confident, each stride sure and steady, back straight and eyes forward. But if the bags under his eyes were anything to go off something was working the man down, nevertheless it did not seem to be affecting him in the slightest, his eyes glinting with a hint of excitement on his seemly content face. He continued making his way down the street to the source of his fatigue, as he drew closer to the familiar building his lips curled into a relaxed smile, the university chem labs, where he had spent countless hours, coming into view. If today went well then he would have all the data required to finish off his paper, with that in mind he quickened his pace as he walked through the door, If there was one man who couldn't say no to his work, it was this man, Darren Bishop.

-Time Skip-

Darren strolled out of the doors many hours later, a satisfied smile across his face as he stretched his arms, a bag full of books and notes dangling off his right shoulder. The grey clouds from earlier had dispersed leaving a pleasant, bright day before him. Under the mid-afternoon sun, his feet worked on their own as he unthinkingly walked the familiar route to one of his frequently visited spots, a small but quaint little café nestled on the corner of one of the quieter streets near to the local park which situated itself near the centre of the city. The walk was out of the way from his home but if you asked him, 'No day was complete without a good brew after some hard, satisfying work.' There may have been another reason he frequented that café, but clueless as he was, he wasn't aware of it. As he strolled up to the little café, he couldn't help but appreciate the sight. Deep burgundy coated the wooden panelling that made up the front of the café, large windows allowed a view of the denizens enjoying their drinks and company but also made use of the natural light of the sun to illuminate the room and the mood. To top it all off a small dark wooden sign hung from above the door, it read: 'Bird's Nest Café'.

Opening the door, the small chime of a bell signalled the entrance of Darren to the other occupants of the café. Surveying the inside Darren saw the few familiar faces that frequented the place, each turning to offer a greeting to another regular. Smiling in turn, Darren made his way through the jumble of furniture in the room to his spot in the corner. As he shuffled past the varying armchairs, stools and rocking chairs that made their home in the café, a female voice shouted from the back room behind the counter,

"I'll be with you in one moment."

Taking his seat and placing his bag on the chair next to him the young man could not help but bathe in the familiar feeling that the café gave out. The warmth the room seemed to generate through its homely aesthetic to the fragrant aromas of the herbal teas and coffee, the place seemed to induce a state of calm and comfort that unknowingly brought a smile to his face. Turning to his bag, Darren unzipped it and began to search for a certain document containing observations and data that he had gathered earlier in the day. While rummaging around he heard light hurried footsteps coming towards his table. Looking up, his gaze was met by the familiar sight of Amy Blake, attempting to stand composed after hurriedly making her way over to his table. Darren had first met Amy a couple of years ago, a few years after coming to the city, when he had mistakenly walked into the café after becoming lost in an area he had never been to before. Amy was the owner of the café and had happily helped him in his predicament and only asked that he sit down and have a cup of tea with her before he left. They had talked and talked, enjoying each other's company. Ever since then they had become good friends and Darren attempted to frequent the café more and more before becoming a regular about a year later. As per usual she stood before him, small and lithe in build, her slightly tight, white café uniform helping to draw the eye to her modest curves. Though, that was not the only thing that drew the observer's eye, her dazzlingly blue eyes stood out beautifully against her dark hair that was currently in a ponytail. She subtly took in a breath before she spoke in her gentle and melodic manner.

"Hello Darren, how were things today at the university?"

"Really good thanks, I managed to get everything I needed to do out of the way, so I can focus on my paper now," Darren replied enthusiastically, Amy had to repress a giggle, she always found that work enthused side of him uplifting, and a tiny bit cute though she would never admit that to anyone. "But what about you, everything been okay here so far?"

"Well, you know, not busy but not entirely quiet either," She smiled, "I'll go get your usual ready, okay?" With that, she turned and skilfully weaved between the tables as she made her way to the back room. Faintly, Darren could hear her voice say, "Lana, can you get the shortbreads from the top shelf please?"

"Oh, Darren is here? You should have said earlier." With a few heavy footsteps a large female figure appeared in the doorway and locked on to Darren sitting in his corner. The Oni, standing at just under two metres in height, broke in to a smile and waved enthusiastically at him. "Darren! Great to see you, Amy was worried you weren't going to be in today because of the work you had to do, but like I told her, who would dare miss out on seeing Amy's cute face?" Darren laughed as he heard Amy's panicked voice muttering something about, having no idea what she was talking about.

The sight of the Oni greeting him enthusiastically may have been a shocking sight two years ago when the Interspecies Exchange Bill had just been implemented in the UK, but by now the sight of liminals had become another aspect of everyday life. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland had been rather slow in its negotiations with the liminal ambassadors and had implemented their Interspecies Exchange Bill one year after the frontrunner in liminal diplomacy and integration, Japan, had implemented theirs. Unfortunately even after two years since the Bill's implementation in the UK there was still unfounded animosity towards liminals from a fraction of the populace with greater, more open discrimination shown towards 'non-cute' liminal species. The 'cute' liminal species had done wonders in helping ease the main human populace's fears of misconceived ideas about non-human liminal species, with many liminals becoming large figures in media and pop-culture, such as singers, models and writers. While most of the populace did not discriminate against non-human liminal species, some continue to be quietly sceptical with their integration, but thankfully more are happy to embrace it. While liminals were now a part of everyday life the number of liminal residents going through the Interspecies Homestay Program as per the Cultural Exchange Program Act were not rare but by no means common, but this was due to the rigorous compatibility testing that the UK government put forward with their amended version of the Cultural Exchange Program Act. The UK government seemingly treated the situation as highly important and did not wish to tarnish their reputation due to incidents with ambassadors of the liminal species.

The Oni in front of him had been Amy's homestay since he had first met her, she was one of the first liminals in the exchange program and had been one of few who had been members of a trial for liminal workers. Her successful integration and hard work had helped to pass the legislation which allowed liminals to apply for work passes. Lana, the Oni in question, was wearing a larger version of the café's uniform which contrasted nicely with her red skin. Her brown hair was long and straight down her back almost reaching her waist, her young face was always as lively as she was red, unquestionably. Currently, after making her way over to Darren, she was suffocating him in a full on hug which had, to his dismay and the amusement of the others in the café, had lifted him off his feet and into the bosom of the childish Oni.

"Lana, please put him down and help me collect those cups from over there, I'd rather not lose a customer and friend." Amy said, appearing from the back room only to pityingly watch as Darren attempted to tap out, his legs dangling frantically.

"Okay!" was her cheery reply as she carefully dropped Darren back on the ground who unceremoniously fell back into the comfort of his chair. She then proceeded to make her way through the room to the recently vacated table where the plates and cups needed cleaning up.

"I'd apologise, but you've gotten used to it, haven't you?" Amy laughed, bringing a tray in one hand over to Darren, before placing a freshly brewed cup of Earl Grey tea and three shortbreads on their own plate. "I still remember the first time that happened, your face was priceless."

Darren chuckled alongside her, recalling the distant but fond memory of his first introduction to Lana. "If I remember correctly your face was equally hilarious, the look of terror as you thought I might have died." he shot back watching in satisfaction as her face tinged red.

"It wasn't that funny," she said, now on the defensive. She quickly scanned the room seeing if anyone needed anything or was about to finish, judging it to be safe she pulled out a chair and joined Darren at the table. "But anyway, I'm happy that you've almost finished with your research, if everything goes well you should get your doctorate when you're done, right?"

Darren simply nodded yes, currently in the middle of taking a sip from the cup placed in front of him, savouring the taste.

"Dr. Bishop," she said out loud, testing it out on the tongue, "I like the sound of it, and you deserve it for how much effort you have put in, and by the looks of it you haven't slept a decent night in the last month." A hint of concern now apparent in her voice.

"I swear I'm fine, all the hard work is out of the way now I'll be taking the next few days off before I get down to the full write up. I'll come over tomorrow when you open, okay?"

"I'm sorry, but we aren't going to be open tomorrow, Lana and I have things that just came up and we can't avoid. Saturdays are our busiest day, I can't afford to just miss out on it but things don't work like that." Amy began her voice rife with annoyance, at Darren's confused look she continued, "We have Lana's Coordinator coming over for an inspection and analysis tomorrow, it was going to be on Wednesday of next week when the café was closed but apparently things came up and they needed to move it to tomorrow, the timings are so atrocious that there is no point even opening the café for the hours we would be able to serve. Normally it would be fine, but my other employee comes back from holiday on Monday, why is this so annoying?" She finished, feeling a bit better that she was able to talk about her problem.

"Then why don't I help tomorrow?" Darren said simply, taking another sip of his tea.

"I couldn't ask you to do that, you've just gotten over a massive hurdle in your research and you look shattered." She began attempting to dissuade the notion.

"Well you don't have to ask, I'm offering. You've got some spare uniforms right? I'll get here for seven-thirty in time for an eight o'clock start. I'll run things 'til you two are free, 'kay?" He replied calmly taking a final sip of tea before reaching for the shortbreads.

"No! Look at you, you're tired to your core, I couldn't do that to you. I'd rather keep the café closed than exploit you like that." She said, her voice becoming slightly raised as she frantically disagreed with the man across from her.

"It'll be fine, okay? I won't do any work this evening, have a good meal then get an early night, I'll even call you when I turn in, I promise I won't push myself beyond what I can do. So please, let me help." Darren said softly, placing his hand atop hers and looking at her seriously.

Amy began to say something, but faltered as she looked at her best friend. Her cheeks reddened as he reassuringly squeezed her hand, she sighed before giving up and replying simply, "Thanks."

Darren merely smiled across at her. Amy didn't move a muscle, unwilling to break the moment she was having with her friend, but all good things must come to and end as the bell chimed signalling another customer, Darren turned to look and give a small greeting along with the other cafégoers, as such he missed the disappointment on Amy's face as she stood up. Quickly shaking her head, she regained her charismatic smile and said a quick goodbye before moving over to attend to the new customer.

Darren turned back to his bag and shortly pulled out the document he had been searching for previously, if he wasn't going to do any work tonight then better get started now. With that thought in mind he pulled out a pen and calculator before turning back to the list of observations and numbers, putting pen to paper he began his work.

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 **AN:** Well if you got this far then first of all, thanks! It means a lot.  
There are a couple of things on the agenda which I would like to put forward, so here goes nothing:

1\. As a new writer, reviews and any comments on my style of writing would be extremely appreciated. I would love to see what readers feel I can do better at so I can make this story the best it can be.

2\. Would you like to discuss something? Have an idea? Simply have a chat? Please drop me a PM and I would be happy to discuss/talk with you!

3\. Hopefully future chapters should be longer as things get going but we will have to see.

With that all said I hope you can join me by the fireside once again when I recount the next chapter of what will hopefully be a story to remember.

-Valamere


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Well hello everyone, I hope you having a wonderful day wherever you may be. I would first like to thank Theblackbird123, Scribe Of Nyx and Mojavekoopa for leaving reviews to chapter 1 of this story, it really means a lot. I do not wish to keep you any longer so make yourself comfortable as I present to you Chapter 2 of Non-Human Chemistry.

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Chapter 2

Ambling home, his head still buzzing with numbers and equations, Darren paid little attention to his surrounds as the fatigue of the day's work and sleepless nights gone by caught up to him. He had spent maybe an hour at the café drafting his full write up, but by the end of it he was aimlessly staring at the notes he had initially made on the efficiency of the purification process for the manufacturing of superconductive materials and the problems faced with applying said products into industrial use. He half-heartedly looked both ways before crossing to the street where his house was situated. It was a nice area with equally nice people, if he didn't feel like a man on death's door he probably would have been more diligent in greeting the group of people who had just passed him, if he saw them again he would have to apologise. Turning the final corner he was greeted by the sight of home and a chance of rest. It was an unusually large house for one man to own by himself, the front garden was clean and presentable, the marigolds he had planted for summer almost blinding him with their golden orange bloom. His garden was a labour of love, it was difficult managing the upkeep of his gardens while also maintaining a large house and spending whole days at the chem labs conducting experiments he had designed beforehand, but it was worth it. He stopped and gazed admiringly at the fruit of his labour and internally rejoiced as he would have more time to try plant some of the flowers that required more upkeep for the Autumn season now that he was nearing the end of his paper and would have plenty of free time afterwards. He tore his gaze away from the flowers to his front door, a scowl appearing on his features. He never enjoyed coming home to 'this', the large house has was an empty shell of a home that that was devoid of the family that should have lived there, his family. He stepped through the door, the interior was decorated with brightly coloured flowers that he had grown himself in an attempt to improve his opinion of the place, but no matter what he did to it, where he moved furniture or what colour the walls were, it still lacked something. Life. Ever since he was a child he had lived alongside his sister with their Aunt and Uncle, his parents were avid travellers and struggled to stay in one place for too long. There was almost no place they hadn't been, but that was no life for a child and as such him and his sister were kindly taken into the household of his father's brother who raised the issue to begin with. He had lived with them for almost his whole life, only leaving to go the university where his parents had met in a desperate attempt to cling to the vague memories he had of them. But by then, news reached him of his mother's untimely death, and with it a deed to the house he was currently staying in, his parents old home before they had left. While the news should have grieved him terribly, he felt nothing but a sudden new hope that with this, his father might come back and give him a chance to talk and once again become a family. But the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley, and so did his hopes as within a week of moving into the home a man called, calling himself his father. He told him that at the loss of his wife, he didn't know what to do and that the only thing he felt he could do was travel until he found a new purpose, he told him that his mother had left him and his sister most of her things as well as most of her wealth; he ended the phone call with a single sentence, 'Your mother and I don't deserve to meet you and Layla for what we did, all I can say is 'I'm sorry'.' and with that the phone went silent.

Darren shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of those unsettling thoughts, it had been a long time since then and he had gotten over it. Him and his sister had helped each other through those times, he was certain now that she was the only family he needed. Using the money she had gotten from her mother, his sister, Layla, had moved to pursue her dream of becoming a junior school teacher, he had heard from her last month and they had planned to meet up near the end of summer. Feeling a bit better Darren walked down the hall to his study where he promptly dropped his bag onto his desk next to his computer and other notes. The room was lined with bookshelves on each wall, housing the many books he had both accumulated and received from his mother in her will. Directly underneath the only window in the room was his desk where he did most of his work, the view outside was of his back garden where numerous species of flowers were neatly aligned in their flower beds. His monitor sat on the middle of the desk, currently on the login screen, while the computer itself sat on the carpeted floor, hidden around the side of his desk. He looked at the notes systematically scattered in ordered chaos on his desk, he felt an urge to try and get some of the work out of the way, but remembered the promise he had made Amy before he had left the café.

Hesitantly, he turned around, leaving his work for another day. He made his way up the stairs to his room, each step intensifying the fatigue that his body felt. Pulling himself up the final step, his feet took him into his room where he proceeded to fall back on to his bed, he felt hungry but the trek to the kitchen and back was not particularly inviting. Quickly stripping down and putting on his nightwear, a pair of boxers and white cotton t-shirt, he lay down, letting the comfort of the mattress melt the strain he had built up on his body, lazily reaching out and grabbing his mobile phone from the bedside cabinet he searched his contacts before ringing Amy's number. The ringing continued until an automated voice message began, but he quickly interrupted it and recorded a voice message telling her that he was about to go to sleep and that she didn't need to worry. He took in a deep breath as he put the mobile phone back on top of the cabinet and allowed his eyes to slowly close as sleep washed over him.

-TimeSkip-

Darren let out a loud yawn as he looked at the café door, he was still tired but felt invigorated by the full night sleep he had. The streets were still quite at this hour, with only a few pedestrians walking around either to work or the park that was not too far away. He stepped forward and pushed the door open, the familiar bell ringing to signal his arrival. It was a little disconcerting to not hear the usual round of greetings of the regulars as Darren had never been to the café so close to the opening hours, his work and schedule only permitting him to visit during lunch or in the afternoon. As the door closed and gave out a rattle Darren noticed how quiet the café really was, it was just far enough from the more used city roads that it managed to not be disturbed by the sounds of the early morning commuters and traffic.

He adjusted his collar as he scanned the room looking for either Amy or Lana, they had said that they were going to be here and the fact that the café's door was open was proof of that. He had decided to wear one of his more comfortable shirts as he was going to be changing into the uniform very shortly, he had matched his red striped shirt with some blue denim jeans that he had found early that morning. Suddenly, there was a rustling from the back room followed by the familiar face of Amy poking from around the door.

"Oh Darren, I didn't hear you come in. I was upstairs trying to find the paperwork that I need to present to the coordinator when they arrive. Lana is busy making the sandwiches for display, come into the back room your uniform is just here, you can change upstairs," She said looking at Darren, scanning him up and down. "You look much better than yesterday, see I told you that you needed to get an early night." With that she smiled and disappeared into the back room again to continue with whatever she was doing.

Following her instructions, Darren walked into the back room where he found a folded up set of the café's uniform sitting on one of the shelves. The room acted as a stock room for quick access whenever something ran out in the front room, it was mildly cramped as shelves protruded from the walls, lined with a plethora of glass jars each holding a different herbal blend, biscuits and other necessities that a café might require . Amy was nowhere to be seen but in a small room next to the stairs Lana could be seen preparing some goods for the display cabinet. Walking up to her, Darren could not help but let out a small laugh at how serious she looked as she meticulously prepared the small sandwiches and cakes. Quickly looking over to her right at the source of the noise, her face broke out into a beaming smile as she saw Darren approaching her.

"Hey Darren!" She called over to him, "You look much better than you did yesterday, I guess you need some beauty sleep once and a while." Laughing she turned back to her work as finished off her final showpiece.

"Wow, I looked that bad yesterday, huh? Well anyway I'll just be heading upstairs to get changed into this." he said as he gestured to the clothes draped over his other arm.

"Okay, thanks for this by the way, it means a lot to me and Amy, you know?" She replied, smiling "Well if you need me I should still be around here, although I still need to give the tables a once over to make sure they look presentable." She finished, pondering what else she needed to do.

Darren couldn't help but smile, it was hard not to admire how diligent Lana was whenever she worked. For someone so large it was often surprising how much attention to detail she had. Her childish enthusiasm for anything meant that she was a great worker in the café and good company. 'Would she lose that enthusiasm as she got a little older?' Darren mused. She was the youngest out of the three of them after all, being twenty she was five years younger than him and six years younger than Amy. He shook his head as he made his way into a spare room where he could change, is was unlikely he decided.

After some time he reappeared, dressed in the café uniform. It consisted of a white shirt with black collar and cuffs and embroidered with a small bird's nest on the breast pocket. Black trousers finished off the uniform to look very smart and presentable. By the time he had made his way back downstairs it was ten to eight and Amy and Lana were talking amongst themselves as they were waiting for him. Turning to face him Amy's eyes seemed to focus on him intently as her cheeks tinged the faintest red, to avoid an awkward silence, Lana spoke up and said,

"Well, let's get started!"

Being on the other side of the counter was an interesting experience Darren found. As the regulars arrived at their usual times they were pleasantly surprised to find Darren there considering the time and were further intrigued at the uniform that made up his apparel. A few explanations later, everything returned back to normal and Darren found a pleasant rhythm in working and moving around the café, to him it seemed harmonious. Amy and Lana played their parts and glided across the floor to address the needs of any of the customers as well as cover for each other when something ran out. The years that they had spent working together had allowed for such efficient and graceful movement, even with the addition of himself, inexperienced and unsure as he was, they knew which jobs he should continue with or move to continue the flow of work. It truly was a wonderful feeling and in what seemed like a moment, almost two hours had gone by. It had begun to slow down as the influx of regulars came to a standstill, wiping his brow, Darren surveyed the room with satisfaction. He smiled to himself, 'Who knew there could be such fulfilment in something like this?' The jingling of the bell, alerted him to the door as an unfamiliar man walked in. It seemed he was not alone in his confusion as the rest of the café looked intrigued at the new arrival as they gave the typical greeting.

The man was dressed in a impressive black suit and tie, that contrasted heavily with his slick, pale blond hair that was brushed back. He seemed to be in his early twenties as he had a young face with a fair complexion, though the black sunglasses obscuring his face made it more difficult to discern. He scanned the room before locking on to Amy and Lana who had ceased their work and turned to him.

"Ahh, it is wonderful to be here while the café is open for a change, it has such a different atmosphere when its full of life. I hope the day finds you well, Ms Blake, Lana." said the figure in a smooth voice, flamboyantly gesturing to the two of them with his hand.

"I was wondering when you were going to be arriving Mr Williams, your explanation over the phone was so vague. If you would like to head on upstairs into the living room, Lana and I shall be with you in a moment," Amy said with a smile, turning to Darren she addressed his still confused face. "Mr Williams is Lana's coordinator, will you be alright if we leave you now? The documentation and questioning might take a couple of hours, there is a new minor legislation which means all documents need to updated and I have to make a load of statements on my experiences as a host so far, it's a pain but it has to be done."

Darren looked around quickly before saying, "Yeah, I should have it under control now. You two go on." He looked over to Lana and gave a reassuring smile who quickly returned a beaming smile back.

Mr Williams, who had already made his way over, turned his head in Darren's direction and stared at him for a moment. Darren was sure the man was scanning him up and down, attempting to read his character before continuing, although it was impossible to tell due the sunglasses obscuring his eyes.

"Who may I ask is this, did you hire someone new since last time?" Mr Williams said turning his gaze back onto Amy.

"Oh, forgive me for not introducing you two. Mr Williams, this is Darren, one of my best friends. As I said before, Mr Williams is Lana's coordinator." she replied, slightly embarrassed at the awkward introduction.

"You must remember Darren's name at least, Amy rarely goes a day without mentioning it at least twice." Lana teased, pulling Darren in to an affectionate hug. Darren laughed at the usual teasing Amy was subjected to.

"Oh really, I didn't think you hated me that much." Darren laughed, joining in with the giggling Oni.

Mr Williams watched with deep interest as Darren and Lana laughed and began to tease each other, Amy attempting to hide her blush while berating them for joking around in front of the coordinator.

"Interesting," he muttered as a smile appeared on his lips, he then proceeded to cough to gain the trio's attention before politely saying, "Shall we then?"

Now left alone, Darren looked around the room determined. He took in a deep breath before attempting to find the rhythm of the café once more and continue the dance Lana and Amy had left him to perform on his own.

It had been just over three hours since Darren had begun to work on his own before Amy, Lana and Mr Williams reappeared. Amy gave Darren a bright smile once she saw him, though the weariness shown on her face indicated how intense the paperwork and questioning had been. Lana on the other hand merely looked bored, but brightened up and the possibility of continuing her work as she rushed off to clear a table that had just been vacated. Mr Williams then surprised Darren by walking up to him, he paused for a moment, seemingly in an attempt to correctly phrase what he wanted to say.

"I was hoping we could sit down and have a little talk, if that is fine with you Mr Bishop?"

Darren, who was initially caught off guard at the question, recovered quickly and briefly scanned the café. It had quietened down in the last twenty minutes and there were plenty of tables free. Turning back to the man, Darren replied "Of course, care to talk over tea?"

"That will do nicely," was his brief reply. Amy knowingly smiled and quickly departed into the back room, calling to them as she went,

"I'll have a cup of Earl Grey and Darjeeling ready for the two of you in a moment, Lana can you get them a couple of sandwiches?"

Darren, leading the way, walked over to his usual table and sat down in the familiar seat, opposite Mr Williams. "Firstly," Darren began, "Personal preference, please call me Darren, formalities were never my thing."

"Of course, Darren," said the coordinator making himself comfortable, "Now then, as you are no doubt aware of, a coordinator's primary role is looking after the welfare and performing administrative roles for the homestays they are assigned." Darren merely nodded, muttering a quick thanks as Lana brought over two cups of tea and a sandwich each on little plates before departing. "The secondary role of a coordinator though," he continued "is to scout potential candidates who would be well suited to become hosts for the Interspecies Homestay Program in accordance with the Cultural Exchange Program Act. I believe that seeing how you acted today around Lana, and from what Ms Blake has told me, you would make an exceptional host." Finishing, Mr Williams took a small sip of his tea and paused, closing his eyes as he savoured the taste. Darren on the other was considering the man's proposition, it was an incredible opportunity, but would he really be suited to the role?

Looking up Darren began, "I am not sure, I don't particularly think I would be an exceptional candidate. Also, I didn't think my interactions with Lana were special, they're just normal."

"Ahh but don't you see, Darren," Mr Williams interrupted, eagerly leaning forward, "That is exactly it! You are the type of person who sees someone, whether human or liminal, for who they are and treats them accordingly, and if Ms Blake is not exaggerating, you would seem to be a very calm and patient person who would happily welcome anyone. These are the characteristics that we look for in hosts, and like I said before, you look like a prime candidate. So I urge you to consider what I am saying."

Darren was slightly taken aback at the sudden burst of enthusiasm the man opposite him and just shown, Darren began to wonder how flamboyant and loud this man really could be. Mr Williams, seemed to take Darren's silence as an indication that he wasn't entirely convinced and decided to continue.

"Not only will you be assisting the integration of liminals into society but you will be reimbursed for any costs that may arise due to your homestays, in addition there is governmental funding to help with everyday costs so the host can focus on looking after the homestays. I'm sure that would be extremely beneficial for someone in your circumstances."

"My circumstances?" Darren questioned, his brow raised at the man's words.

"Owning such a big house by yourself, it must cost a lot to maintain, and with the fact that you have just about finished your PhD, I am sure that you wouldn't want to have to find a fulltime-job straight away, just to continue to pay the bills. You can't rely on that inheritance for much longer."

Darren felt and internal twinge of anger at the man's invasive insinuation. "May I ask how you know this?" Darren said softly after quickly calming himself down.

"Government secret, I'm afraid," he slyly replied, still maintaining a smile "So, what do you say?"

"Even without your last remark," Darren began slightly harshly, "I would be happy to assist in the program and become a host, though I would like to see some documentation or paperwork first, just to be sure."

"Of course, of course, now where was it?" Mr Williams said, mostly to himself as he opened his document bag. "Ahh, here it is." he continued a few moments later, handing Darren a hefty folder filled with a lot of documents.

Opening the folder, he quickly recognised the document as an official copy of the Cultural Exchange Program Act. He was quite familiar with the documentation as he had thoroughly read over it after being intrigued when he first met Lana. Mr Williams reached over and flicked through the folder until he reached a part Darren had never seen before.

"These," he began, gesturing at the page, "are the rules you would be agreeing to as a host by signing the document, give them a read over now before you make your mind up."

Darren quickly read through the document, there did not seem to be anything that would be a cause for concern. Rules such as not hurting the homestay and the punishments for breaking the rules, everything made sense, although the one thing that stuck out at him was a small paragraph mentioning that the government had full control over the host's premises if the need of a liminal had to be met, though he quickly brushed it aside.

"Everything does seem to be fine." Darren said after taking ten minutes to read over the documentation while Mr Williams patiently waited. The man merely smiled as he offered Darren a pen, who proceeded to take it, turn to the very front of the document and sign on the dotted line.

"Well, I know you are still currently busy with working on your paper so I shall contact you when you have finished with all of the work you need to do." Mr Williams said as he began to rise. He quickly took out his mobile phone, pressed a few buttons, then held it up to his ear. A few moments later he greeted someone before simply saying, "Get it done." and hanging up.

Darren did not miss this highly suspect behaviour, but decided he wasn't going to get a straight answer even if he inquired about it. Sighing to himself, he stood up and accompanied Mr Williams to the door. Saying a fairly sizable farewell and bowing in the direction of Amy and Lana, the coordinator walked out the door and down the street, out of sight.

"Quite the unique individual, don't you think?" Darren said, walking back over to Amy who had just finished clearing up the table where he and Mr Williams had discussed his enrolment into the homestay program. "I am still not really sure what to make of him."

"He is harmless though," Amy said giggling "you get used to him after a while. But anyway I am so happy you decided to become a host as well! Mr Williams mentioned it while we were going over expenses and I said that you would be a wonderful host. I'm sorry if that put you on the spot, but I just thought..." Trailing off, Amy looked slightly worried in case she may have upset her friend, though her worries were disproved as he smiled back at her.

"Well it was definitely a surprise to be asked like that, but I must say that I'm happy I was. It's such a great opportunity, and I guess I have you to thank for that. I doubt I would have been asked if you hadn't recommended me." Darren replied still smiling at her.

Shying under his gaze, Amy turned around and began to sort the cutlery on the table. "We can handle it from now on, I don't want to take up any more of your day. You should go home and rest, you deserve it."

"Are you sure?" Darren said as Amy turned back around to face him.

"Perfectly. I can't thank you enough for covering today, the documents and statements took so long that I would have lost out on a lot my regulars." was her reply, face beaming at him.

"In that case, I shall make my way home, work on the structure of my write up and then finish of the final few things. If I get started today I should be done in about a week."

After getting changed and saying a brief goodbye to Amy and a not so brief goodbye to Lana, mostly due to the fact he could not get out of her embrace, Darren made his way out of the door into the beautiful midday sunlight, he looked around observing the area before walking at a brisk pace in the direction of his house.

After about an hour of walking, Darren fell back into his chair looking at the hefty task in front of him, his computer screen taunting him with how close to the end he almost was. Slapping his cheeks, his straightened himself up, took a quick glance at the notes in front of him before furiously typing in an attempt to dent the week's worth of work he had in front of him.

 _Six days later..._

Darren let out an almighty sigh. He had done it, all his hard work these three years was worth it, the thesis was done. He was happy with it, his supervisor was happy with it and his research colleagues were impressed by the brief snippets they had seen.

"I can't believe it's over and done with." He said aloud, letting out another sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding in. He thought back to the events a week prior with Mr Williams and Amy.

"Didn't he say he was going to call me when I was done? Well, I shouldn't worry, I'll probably get a phone call in the next couple of d-."

He never finished that sentence, as the loud echoes of a phone ringing reached his ears.

* * *

 **AN:** I think I am happy with this chapter although I did need to refine it a few times to make sure it was okay.  
I know I mentioned this in the previous chapter but reviews are extremely appreciated as I want to improve as a writer and be able to give you, the reader, the best this story has to offer.

Nevertheless, I hope you can join me by the fireside once again when I recount to you the next chapter of Non-Human Chemistry.

-Valamere


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